SYNOPSIS
Biblical Epic Fantasy by Brian Godawa
“Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” That’s all the primeval history of Genesis tells us about this enigmatic holy man of the primordial generation. The ancient Book of Enoch tells us that he pronounced judgment on the fallen Watchers and their progeny, the Nephilim giants of Genesis chapter 6. But what if that holy calling meant that Enoch was a giant killer?
This second novel in the saga Chronicles of the Nephilimis a prequel to Noah Primeval that tells the story of the Fall of the Watchers and the rise of the Nephilim generations before the Flood. You’ll meet some of the beloved characters from Noah Primeval when they were much younger, like Methuselah and Uriel, as well as the origin stories of the lead Watcher gods, Anu and Inanna. But most of all, you’ll follow the epic journey of Enoch the giant killer before he was translated into heaven at a young 365 years old.
An appendix provides some of the Biblical and ancient Near Eastern research behind the mythopoeia in the novel.
CHARACTERS
Enoch
Enoch is a wisdom sage for priest-king Enmeduranki of the city-state of Sippar in ancient Sumer. He is a holy man who seeks the spirit world and cares little for the physical body of this earth. He is visited in a dream vision by Uriel the archangel, and is told to reject his patron sun god Utu and seek the God of his ancestor Adam out in the volcanic territory south of Eden. When the Gigantomachy (giant uprising) occurs, his wife is killed and he is targeted for elimination in a regime change by the Watcher gods. So he leaves with his family to find this God Elohim on what will become a life-changing journey of wild surprises that transforms Enoch from a peaceful pagan priest into a holy giant killer for God.
Methuselah
The son of Enoch. A master with the javelin. We first met Methuselah in Noah Primeval as the cantankerous oldest man alive. In this prequel to that novel, we get to know Methuselah as a young feisty apprentice sage with a passionate lust for life and earthly experience which puts him at odds with his father, the otherworldly Enoch. He loves good food, a hearty battle, and most all the love of his beautiful wife, Edna, his companion from childhood. But when his mother and other family members are killed by the Rephaim giant kings Thamaq and Yahipan, he is driven on a personal quest for revenge that may lose his soul and everything he lives for in this life.
Edna
The young wife of Methuselah. Raised to be a temple virgin dedicated to be married to the god of the city, Edna is a spirited young girl who wants to learn how to read, write, and fight like boys. Methuselah secretly schools her and eventually falls in love with her and they are married. But Edna has a weakness for looking to others for her significance, so when she is faced with a personal trauma greater than losing her own parents, she must decide whether she will serve Elohim or other people’s interests.
Lamech
The young son of Methuselah and Edna. Lamech is born and raised in a secret underground volcanic city where he wants to become a holy man like his grandfather, Enoch, and cloister himself away beneath the earth in safety. But God has other plans for him as his parents raise him in a secret order of giant killers to roam the wilderness as a bounty hunter. When he discovers he is to be the father of the Chosen Seed who will come to save the earth from the reign of the gods, he also finds out that he may not have much time to live as the cursed Cain, son of Adam, is hunting him for revenge against God.
Betenos
Betenos is a pagan snow tribe princess who is rescued by Lamech in a battle with the giants who killed her tribe. She is independent and skilled in the arts of healing and cooking and wants to join the giant killers because she is now orphaned. She falls in love with Lamech. But she worships a different god, the Great Goddess Earth Mother who is at enmity with the living God of Lamech. Enoch tries to keep her apart from Lamech, but they are inexorably drawn to each other in a dangerous fate that may challenge their faith and jeopardize all of their lives. Will she be the carrier of the Chosen Seed or will she avoid bringing a child into this world of evil and suffering?
Uriel
The spirit being we first met in Noah Primeval as the sarcastic guardian angel of Noah. In this story, hundreds of years earlier, we see the witty angel is commissioned with the task of protecting Noah’s father before him. Because he is smaller than the other angels, he is teased relentlessly and he soon learns to compensate for his disadvantage with a sharp intelligence, an acerbic wit, and master swordplay. The problem is, his fear of insignificance and need to prove himself will plunge his ward, Lamech, into deep trouble that he may not be able to get out of.
Ohyah
A giant who receives dreams from Elohim, the God of Enoch, about the judgment coming upon the Watchers and the giants. Ohyah seeks to join Enoch on his journey into the west in search of his giant twin brother Hayah, with whom he has a psychic connection. Can a Naphil repent? Are Nephilim beyond redemption? Ohyah’s special warrior skills will become a benefit in saving the lives of Enoch’s travelling troupe, but the secret he holds may become their downfall.
Anu and Inanna
The two leaders of the fallen Watchers we first met in Noah Primeval. We see their origin story of the descent of the Watchers to Mount Hermon and their plans of world corruption and conquest. When the Gigantomachy occurs, they must save the cities from the devastation of the giants and outlaw Nephilim from ever again proliferating on the land. But they have secret plans of their own that involves a horrifying goal that will make their evil eternal and undefeatable.
Thamaq & Yahipan
The Rephaim giant leaders of Sippar, the city of Enoch and Methuselah. The Rephaim are special Nephilim who are the kingly rulers of cities. These two heinous monsters kill Enoch’s wife and Edna’s parents and so become the target of wrath for Enoch and Methuselah. But the giant killers have a dark surprise in store for them when they find the giants, a surprise that may end all their hopes for victory against the evil forces. Also, Yahipan has a vicious vendetta against Methuselah who permanently wounds him during the Gigantomachy. That vendetta involves a fate worse than death for his prey.
The Archangels
The four archangels of the throne of Yahweh. Mikael is the prince leader, strong, responsible yet not without a good sense of humor. But like the bigger brother, always has to “break it up” when the other archangels bicker. Uriel is the talkative one, a bit rascally, and witty. Gabriel is whimsical and energetic, always ready to jest. Raphael is the quiet one, more cerebral. But all of them are the mightiest warriors of Yahweh’s heavenly host.
Lilith
Lilith and her two daughters, Lilu and Lili are the beautiful seductive guardians of the Great Goddess Earth Mother, the World Tree. This giant tree, a counter part to the Tree of Life in Eden, is secretly located in the desert of Arabia. It hosts the mythical Anzu Thunderbird in its branches and the slithering Ningishzida in its roots. But the secret Lilith holds may uncover a dark side of the Garden of Eden that no one is aware of.
Cain Son of Adam
The legendary first murderer of his own brother Abel, is also surrounded by legends of his curse. Some say he is lord over a tribal pack of wolves, others say he becomes a wolf at night. But one thing is for sure, he is cursed to wander the earth as the living dead with Awan, his raven-haired sisterand wife. And Cain is out to get revenge on Elohim by hunting down the one hope for mankind, the Seed of the Woman, which he has discovered lies in Lamech.